Pitless well adapter



Allg' 21 1962 T. H. oTTl-:NBACHER 3,050,124

PITLEss WELL ADAPTER Filed Oct. 22, 1958 INVENTOR. Z'H. OrrENJHc/-fs BY a a Z e] n a United States The present invention relates generally to equipment for wells which are commonly referred to as being of the pitls type. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved adapter for connecting the pipe to the casing, and which adapter makes possible the use of a pitless well construction.

In some types of well installations, it is necessary to excavate an area around the upper end of the generally vertical casing in order to make t-he connection between the pipe in the casing and the laterally extending pipe leading therefrom. This excavated area is known as a pit and is necessary to provide suiiicient room to enable the operator to make the necessary plumbing connections. It is also occasionally necessary to disconnect these pipes when, for example, it is desired to deepen the well.

With the advent of the pitless type of well construction, the necessity for providing the above-mentioned pit has been eliminated. However, the adapters that have heretofore been used, and which permit this type of installation, have been rather complex in construction and consequently costly, and furthermore, comparatively difficult to assemble and disassemble.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved well adapter has been provided for pitless wells, which adapter is simple in construction, easily connected and disconnected and eliicient in providing a tight seal between the pipes to be joined.

More particularly, the invention contemplates an adapter of the above type in which the weight of the pipe hanging within the casing acts to cause precise coaxial alinement of the pipes to be joined and also acts to force these pipes together in an axial direction to thereby cause a tight seal to be formed between them.

The above-described adapter provided by this invention is furthermore compact in size and requires no excavation other than that required by the generally Vertical casing and pipe which laterally extends therefrom.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an adapter housing that is attached directly to the Well casing. The adapter housing carries an interengaging member which complements another interengaging member carried by the fluid pipe, and together with which forms a tightly sealed joint. The housing furthermore includes a lateral pipe connection which is in alinement with the predetermined sealing position of the interenegaging members.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear later as this disclosure progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View, with parts broken away and in section, of t-he upper portion of -a well iustallation made in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the FIGURE l Construction, parts being broken away or in section for clarity; and

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken generally along the line 3-3 in FIGURE l.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, the steel well casing 1 is inserted in the conventional manner in the drilled hole 2 and may extend generally downwardly to the necessary depth. The uppermost end of the cas- Patented Aug. 21, 1962 Mice A laterally extending trench 4 is dug at a suitable depth to receive the pipe 5 which extends in a generally horizontal direction from the casing to the source of fluid utilization. After the connection of the pipe to the casing, in -a manner to be described, the trench would ordinanily Ibe refilled to ground level.

Within the casing is located the pipe 7 which extends downwardly to the source of iiuid to be pumped in the conventional manner. The upper end of the pipe 7 has a T 8 threaded thereon which is plugged at its upper end by the threaded male plug 9. A pipe nipple 10 is threaded into the intermediate leg 11 of the T and this nip-ple termin-ates in a threaded outer endV 1-2. In this manner, a iight angle connection is made for the upper end of pipe 7 and other suitable fittings, such as an elbow or the like, could be used for this purpose.

In accordance with the present invention, a steel boxlike adapter housing 15 is secured in any suitable manner, as yby the weld joints 16, over the corresponding opening 17 cut in the side of the upper end of the casing. The Vertical location of this housing relative to the ground level will, of course, be determined by the depth at which it is desired to lay the pipe 5. The outer side 18 of the housing has a pipe connection means in the form of a threaded collar 19 which may be formed integrally with the side 18. The lateral pipe 5 is threadably and sealingly engaged in this threaded portion of the adapter and from the outside thereof. The housing thus provides an enlargement of the upper end of the casing and also provides a flat sealing surface, as will appear.

An interengaging locking member 20 is provided on the inside of the housing and is mounted on the inner surface of side 1S. This mem-ber takes the form of a generally V-shaped yoke which includes a pair `of downwardly converging legs 21. Each of these legs has an inclined surface 22 which also converges inwardly toward the inside of the housing, and which surfaces are of a relatively smooth finish.

Another interengaging locking member 25 is threadably engaged on the pipe nipple 10, which member is complementary to member 20 for lock-ing engagement therewith. More particularly, the member 25 takes the form of a V-shaped wedge block having inclined surfaces 26 that converge as they extend toward the center of the housing. These surfaces 26 engage surfaces 22 of the yoke when the wedge block 2.5 is inserted in the upper portion of the yoke, the surfaces 22 and 26 aligned, and the block 25 then lowered into the narrow lower end of the yoke, as shown in the drawings.

A Iwasher Z8 is sweat set in the inner side of wall 18 and forms a seat for the ilexible sealing gasket 29 carried by the block 25 and held captive therein by the annular iiange 30. The washer is preferably of any noncorrosive material, such as stainless steel or brass. The gasket 29 may be of neoprene, for example, and forms a pressure type seal against the seat 28 when the block is lowered into the yoke.

Due to the downward convergence of the mating surfaces 22 and 26, and the wedging action thereof, the weight of the pipe 7 acts to securely hold the interengaging members together in sealing relationship in which the pipe nipple 10 is in coaxial alignment with the pipe 5. Furthermore, due to the inwardly converging direction of these surfaces, the wedge block 25 is urged to the right, as viewed in FIGURE 1, and consequently, the gasket 29 into positive sealing engagement with the seat 28.

With the arrangement as shown, the housing carries the yoke which is a female member while the pipe car- 3 ries the male interengagng member. These parts could be reversed as to their positions, lor otherwise modified and still fall within the scope of this invention.

After a period of use, it may be desirable to temporarily Iemove the pipe 7 `from :the well, and to do so, it is only necessary to remove the cap 3, lift the pipe 7 and block 25 slightly so the latter can be shifted to the left (FIG. l) and thereby disengaged from its yoke, and the pipe and block assembly then lifted from the casing.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being Within the scope of the lfollowing claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

I claim:

l. In combination with a generally vertical well casing having a supply pipe therein, said pipe having an upper laterally extending portion Ewhich terminates in a free end, an adapter comprising, a housing on said casing, outlet Ameans 4in said housing for detachably receiving a lateral l pipe, a yoke secured Within said housing and around said outlet means, and a block secured to said free end and which is complementary .to said yoke, said yoke and lblock `both `being generally V-shaped when viewed in an axial direction relative to said pipe, whereby said block may be a at wall, outlet means in said wall for detachably receiving a lateral pipe, a yoke secured to said wall within said hou-sing and around said outlet means, and a block secured -to said free end, said yoke and block both being generally V-shaped lwhen viewed in an axial direction relative to said pipe, said block being complementary to said yoke for wedging engagement therewith due to Ithe weight of said supply pipe, whereby the latter is held in coaxial alignment with said outlet means, said yoke and block each having inclined mating surfaces which cause said block and said housing to be urged ytoward one another lby the Weight of said supply pipe to form a tight seal therebetween.

3. In combination with a generally vertical well casing having a supply pipe therein, said pipe having an upper laterally extending por-tion which terminates in a free end, said casing having an opening adjacent said free end, an adapter comprising, a housing secured to the outside of said casing .and around said opening, said housing having a at wall, outlet means in said wall for threadably and detachaibly receiving a lateral pipe, a yoke secured to the inside of said ilat wall and within said housing and around said outlet means, a block secured to said `free end, said yoke and block both being generally V-shaped when viewed in an axial direction relative to Vsaid pipe, said block being complementary -to said yoke for wedging engagement therewith due to the weight of said supply pipe, whereby the latter is held in coaxial alignment with said outlet means, said yoke and block each having inclined mating surfaces which cause said (block `and said housing to be urged toward one another by the weight of said supply pipe .to form a tight seal therebetween, and a seal carried by said V-shaped block for sealing engagement with the inside of said ila-t wall,

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 295,151 Cummins Mar. 18, 1884 2,689,611 Mortinson Sept. 21, 1954 2,707,030 Ortman Apr. 26, 1955 2,918,972 Tubbs Dec. 29, 1959 2,960,166 Haydin etal Nov. 15. 196() 

